Rep. Quico Canseco Rear-Ends Car, Leaves Scene, Gets Sued

A lawsuit has been filed in Bexar County against Republican Rep. Quico Canseco. On November 11, 2010 a man named James Brian Cole was stopped at a yield sign waiting to proceed when he was suddenly rear-ended by Francisco Canseco. Then-congressman-elect Francisco “Quico” Canseco told Cole that he was busy, gave him his insurance information, and left before San Antonio police arrived at the scene. The police report explains,

Driver of V-1[Cole] had stopped for cross traffic on Wurzbach when V-2 [Canseco] struck his vehicle from behind. Driver of V-2 stopped and told driver of V-1 that he was in a hurry and gave driver of V-1 listed information along with his phone number.

Last Thursday, Cole filed a lawsuit in Bexar County on grounds of negligence and damages in the form of James Cole's “medical expenses in the past for the necessary care and treatment of injuries resulting from the accident” as well as “loss of earning capacity” and “loss of household services”. The lawsuit alleges that “James Cole has been damaged in an amount in excess of the minimal jurisdictional limits of this Court, but not to exceed $1,000,000.00.” The lawsuit calls for a trial by jury. It can be read in full here.

Clearly something happened. We don't know all the details yet, but the fact alone that Canseco rear-ended a car, refused to wait with the apparently injured driver for the police to arrive, and has done nothing to pay Cole's medical bills says a lot about the man. We already knew the freshman Republican is a veryslimy guy, but it appears he may be even slimier.

It's now time for reporters to start asking Canseco questions about this lawsuit. Why wouldn't Canseco stay with Cole and wait for the police? Is his “hurry” more important than anyone else's? Why hasn't he paid Cole's medical bills? Why was he driving so negligently? What is he going to do about this lawsuit?

More details are sure to come soon as this lawsuit moves forward. Not good timing for Canseco, who's already on-the-rails in the face of his own awfulness and strong opposition from State Rep. Pete Gallego for the 23rd Congressional seat.

About Author

Ben Sherman has been a BOR staff writer since 2011. A graduate of the University of Texas, Ben has worked on campaigns, in political consulting, and has written for other news outlets like Think Progress. Ben considers campaign finance reform the fundamental challenge of our time because it distorts almost every other issue in American politics.